Woman who owned dogs that killed man released from jail, Bexar County court records show

Abilene Schnieder, 31, was arrested after evidence showed she was a co-owner of the dogs

Abilene Schnieder (SAPD)

SAN ANTONIO – A woman believed to be a co-owner of the dogs that attacked and killed a man on the West Side last month has been released from jail, according to court records.

Abilene Schnieder, 31, was released from jail on Tuesday after posting bond, online jail records show. She is facing charges of attack by a dangerous dog resulting in death and injury to an elderly person-criminal negligence. Her bond had been set at $125,000.

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Her pre-trial hearings are set for next month, and she is awaiting indictment.

Schnieder was arrested on March 1 in connection with the dog attack that happened on Feb. 24. in the 2800 block of Depla Street, off Highway 90 and Cupples Road.

Police said the dogs escaped their yard and were roaming free when they attacked Ramon Najera, 81. He and his wife, Janie, were visiting someone in the neighborhood when the incident happened.

Najera died from his injuries, and Janie and two others were taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The three dogs, described as American Staffordshire Terriers, had a history with San Antonio Animal Care Services over the last two years due to complaints from neighbors. In two years, 112 calls were made to their home, records show.

Authorities said Schnieder owned the dogs with her husband, Christian Alexander Moreno, 31.

Moreno is facing the same charges as Schnieder and was released from jail last week.

Christian Alexander Moreno, 31, was arrested Friday night on felony charges of attack by dangerous dog causes death and injury to an elderly. (KSAT)

A third suspect, Destiny Marie Cardona, 26, was arrested for retaliation after she allegedly threatened neighbors who spoke to police as witnesses. Cardona has also been released from jail.

Police said Schnieder posted on social media before the attack when one of the dogs had puppies. She referred to herself as “a grandma” in the post, because the puppies were born.

She also recorded conversations she had with her husband, talking about how dangerous the dogs had become after having been sterilized, an affidavit states.

SAPD said they received several tips that claimed Schnieder and Moreno were training the dogs to be “aggressive with meat.”

Schnieder is also accused of “failing to take the measures necessary to properly secure her dogs and was equally responsible for doing so,” an affidavit states.

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About the Authors:

Cody King is a digital journalist for KSAT 12. She previously worked for WICS/WRSP 20 in Springfield, Illinois.

Rebecca Salinas has worked in digital news for more than 10 years and joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.